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E231 series
The E231 series is a Japanese commuter electric multiple unit. Built from 1998 to 2011 for JR East, the E231 series is mainly used on city and outer-suburban commuter services. It is one of a few main types of rolling stock used on urban commuter services on JR East, with another being the E233 sets. It is most famously known as the main rolling stock on the Yamanote Line, a major loop line in the Tokyo region; however, they are slowly being phased out on the Yamanote Line and are being replaced by the newer E235 series sets. History The E231 series was designed in 1998 to replace various city commuter trains like 103, 201, 205 and 301 series sets and outer-suburban commuter trains like the 113 and 115 series. The first set entered service on 13 March 2000. A total of 2,736 cars were built, with the majority still in service based at various depots around Japan. Occasionally, six-doored cars are inserted into the sets to allow for more passengers to board the train during busy periods. These were originally used on the Yamanote Line, but with the addition of platform screen doors on most of the stations to standardize door spacing, these six-doored cars were removed and replaced by new cars with irregularly-spaced doors to fulfill the same purpose. Of note is that the first set delivered, E231-900 series set B901, was actually originally classified as a 209-950 series set; that set entered service on 27 March 1999. The set was reclassified as E231-900 series set B901 in June 2000 with the manufacture of the full-production cars. Design The E231 series uses a modern design with an unpainted stainless steel body very much like most JR East commuter trains; the sets are based on the 209 series so some design language does carry over. Each set has a different color scheme to indicate which area the sets serve. The sets have a wide variety of different body styles based on the different variations of the set. Variations ;Livery variations | |- | colspan="3" | |- ! Jōban Line/Narita Line | | |- | colspan="3" | |- ! Musashino Line/Keiyō Line | | |- | colspan="3" | |- ! Yamanote Line | | |- | colspan="3" | |- ! Chūō-Sōbu Line/Tokyo Metro Tozai Line through-running | | |- | colspan="3" | |- ! Tōkaidō Main Line/Utsunomiya Line/Takasaki Line/Shōnan-Shinjuku Line | | |- | colspan="3" | |- ! Kawagoe Line/Hachikō Line | | |- |} ;Cab design variations There are four cab design variations of the E231 series, with each cab design variation being used on the role the sets are used on. E231-0 B3 Akihabara 2017.jpg|E231-0 series mid-distance commuter set B3 approaching Akihabara Station on the Chūō-Sōbu Line in May 2017. E231-900 B901 Higashi-Koganei 2015.jpg|E231-900 series mid-distance commuter set B901 approaching Higashi-Koganei Station in January 2015. This is the prototype set for the E231 series as a whole; there are few discernible differences between the similar 209 and E231-0 series that operate on the line other than sound and cosmetic differences. E231-1000 S20 Tōkaidō 2017.jpg|E231-1000 series outer-suburban set S20 on the Tōkaidō Main Line in February 2017. E231-800 K5 Minami-Gyōtoku 2010.jpg|E231-800 series narrow-body set K5 approaching Minami-Gyōtoku Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line in November 2010. E231-500 A507 Akihabara 2017.jpg|E231-500 series city commuter set A507 approaching Akihabara Station in July 2017. Specifications Construction is of stainless steel. Cars are 20 meters long, 2.95 meters wide and 3.98 meters high. Traction motors are powered by three-level insulated gate bipolar transistors supplied by Mitsubishi or two-level IGBT drives supplied by Hitachi and Mitsubishi which are only used on various refurbished sets. The Mitsubishi drives fitted on the E231-0, E231-500, E231-800 and E231-900 series sets make a distinctive, wind-like noise when the train accelerates from idle; the later-build E231-1000 series sets use early-spec Hitachi drives which make a shrill noise which later dies down but rises in pitch again; refurbished sets use two-level Mitsubishi drives which make a hissing noise or later-spec two-level Hitachi drives which make a high-pitched wooshing noise. There are even other variations of the two-level Hitachi drives which do not have the abrupt pitch shifts. The E231 series sets are one of a few sets which are the blueprints for successive trains developed by JR East; others include the E233 and 209 series sets. References *Wikipedia.org Category:JR Group trains Category:Electric Trainsets Category:Tokyu Car locomotives Category:Kawasaki locomotives